DMX Hobby Controller

[P. Funk]

I'd wondered about bluetooth, then a mobile phone would do! For venues without DECT and a suitable interface!

 

The 10m range would make things a bit difficult wouldnt it?

[J Pearce]

In some of the venues I work in it wouldn't!

 

But in the average venue I agree bluetooth would be next to useless.

[Tom Baldwin]

Wireless is a completely different kettle of fish - RF devices are rather complicated, and IR isn't very feasible when up a ladder as the transmitter box would be up in the booth by the console!

 

For the OP's application, RF Solutions SmartRadio module might be the way forwards - 100k is easily more than fast enough to send a "turn channel 3 on" command, and the interface to a PIC should be trivial too - just need one with dual UARTs (or bit-bash it yourself). RF solutions also do lower baud rate modules, but they seem to be more expensive...

[tuxlux]

The 10m range would make things a bit difficult wouldnt it?

How about the class 1 100m links? Or is it over hyped marketing, and only works in restricted conditions? I don't know enough about the bluetooth specs.

 

Anyway, wondering off topic, but on the subject of radio modules, Zigbee/(or just IEEE 802.15.4 to save complexity) can be cheaper options (about 14 quid) and work reasonably well.

[jfitzpat]

From the isolation point of view and the spec. I was under the impression there was nothing wrong with isolating drivers (as in the data in/out of the bus driver), but the bus ground should be tied to chassis ground at, and only at the transmitter?

 

One concern about opto isolating inputs is the overall current draw on the chain. There is a companion to 512A draft (or at least one of them) that lists out some of the issues that folks raised about this.

 

-jjf